Life Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck
by Invader Hog
Summary: Happy Independence Day! 233 years of being free!
1. Alone

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: The response to_ blowingafuze's_** **50 themes challenege, #2! Thanks for reading.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, but I do know I have Mytho's heart in a box somewhere…**

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**Alone**

**_So this is how it feels to be alone in a crowded room.._. she thinks with no Fakir in sight.**

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The people weren't smiling, but standing around, speaking in low voices. The children were kept quiet in another room as everyone stood silently everywhere. Black was the dress for the afternoon, and there was silence when Ahiru walked into the room, escorted by no one.

Some people came to her and gave their regrets, and walked on to speak to someone else. Ahiru accepted their kindness with as little words as she could manage. She knew she would start crying if she did. She hadn't been able to stop crying since he left her.

The casket was large and covered in lilies, a flower she liked. Ahiru wandered over to it and looked at a picture on the stand. He was smiling, which he rarely ever did. His eyes were soft and his face was perfect.

Ahiru turned to look back at the room of mourners and slowly everyone began to blend together, creating a whirling black abyss of tears and strain.

She had never felt this way before. _So this is how it feels to be alone in a crowded room… _she thinks with no Fakir in sight.

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**_-_A shorter one, about what I would think Ahiru might think if Fakir had been actually killed in the part of the story he was supposed to. Hope you liked it.**

**Invader Hog**


	2. Beginning

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Numbah 4! Okay, not really, but he is pretty cool. This is the fourth installment in the themes, one of the more interesting ones, I believe. Thanks for reading.**

**Disclaimer: Emo face… I don't own Princess Tutu…**

**A/N: This was written while I was listening to My Chemical Romance, so like… if it sounds a little emo, sorry? Can't say much else about it…**

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**Beginning**

**Doubt, regrets, faults--- turned to hope, faith and the most important of all…_love._**

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Darkness reigned in this land. It had taken over the entire world, created its own story and then left without a trace just as quickly as it had come. The battle had been terrible and long. The world had been consumed in the grip of evil and it had destroyed countless lives. Only when it was over did the hope reappear.

She was hope. If Ahiru had ever been given the wrong name, it was the fact that her name literally meant "duck", when it would have been better if she had been called "hope" or "beauty." That's how everyone saw her, beautiful, brave and strong. She had brought the city out of the darkness and restored peace without even a thought of herself.

Fakir had always admired that, though he would not have been the first to admit that he had ever admired her before. When they had first met, they were strangers, distant figures brought together through a twisted and endless story of pain and anguish in which they played their parts.

Had she decided that she would not follow a dark story that would only end in pain and sadness did the characters of the story begin to change and become what they truly were. When Fakir thought he was to die, he was given the chance to live. When Mytho was told that he would never be able to save his princess, he was given the power to continue on. When Rue was stripped of her humanity, she found her love once again.

Through the power of a young girl, these characters found their hope and faith in their own destines, not the destinies they were assigned to follow in accordance to a storyteller.

Fakir and Ahiru were able to find themselves among the ashes of their destined lives and rebuild a new world. A place where there was a "happily ever after" and a life beyond the story.

Doubt, regrets, faults--- turned to hope, faith and the most important of all… _love. _It was when they knew they were to forever give their lives for their own stories, did he know he loved her, loved her more than the world itself. Fakir would have rather spent his life alone talking to a duck than he would have ever left her side, not for all the beauty in the world. Their dance proved his love for her and she accepted it as her own, returning it as well she could. Ahiru was a duck, hope her own weapon against the darkness, but it was enough to save the world, enough to make the Prince continue on, the Knight to finish his story, the Princess to stop her sad dance.

The story of the fight for their love and for peace never ends, but now is only at its very beginning.

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**-A little more about everyone involved, and I was actually rooting for Mytho/Rue, so I wasn't too worried about writing about them too. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	3. Air

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: This is the response to the Fifty Themes Challenge by** **_blowingafuze,_ whom was so excited that I wanted to respond. Thank you for reading.**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Princess Tutu, but I wouldn't mind owning Fakir…**

**A/N: I don't believe I've ever done a challenge before, but since I was really liking these challenges, I am going to attempt to do them all, so please read and let me know what you think. This is all for** _**blowingafuze**._

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**Air**

**_The air feels heavier, and suddenly, it becomes harder to breathe when she's around._**

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He had not noticed the way everything seemed heavier as she passed by. If he had been more observant he would have seen what she did to him, when he wasn't on guard. Then again, whenever she was around he never was.

She smiles as she spots him across the way, having just come from lunch with her friends. She waves and begins a full sprint to his side, making his heart begin to race, though he only believes it is because she might hit him. He cannot deny, however, that he has to clutch his chest as she stops right in front of him, wobbling and then regaining her balance. Suddenly everything begins to spin, his eyes feel heavy. Any moment he could fall over, suffocating as his chest begins to cave in.

Of course she does not understand his strange behavior, she is rattling away about how lovely the day is or how nice it was to see him or whatever came to mind. He stumbled a little when she came closer to him. Was it getting hotter outside? She smiled and laughed, since it seemed his face was getting red and she thought he was doing it to be funny.

The poor dancer wasn't trying to do anything as he clutched his chest and she laughed again, saying goodbye and how silly he was before skipping off to find someone else to bother.

It was when she was out of sight that suddenly he was fine again, his heart stopped pounding, his face was regular again, he wasn't sweating and he didn't feel suffocated. Moments passed as he thought about the encounter and what had changed in that short amount of time that made him act the way he did, all unvoluntary. That thought is what made him think of what had happened.

When he saw her, his heart began to race, his palms beginning to sweat. He had seen her so many times, but this one was the first he had ever become so nervous around her. What had happened that changed the way he saw her?

"Fakir? Are you okay? I thought you were going to pass out when Ahiru came up to you. Are you sick?" came a soft voice. Athor had been passing by and saw the Knight in distress. Fakir said nothing and that was when it was clear.

_Ahiru did this to me? The air feels heavier, and suddenly, it becomes harder to breathe when she's around._

"Oi! Ahiru! I think Fakir might be sick!" the musician called, seeing Ahiru bounding back from where she had come, in search of her friends.

"Come help me get him inside. Hey, Fakir? Fakir! Ahiru! He's passed out! I think he's stopped breathing!"

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**-A little humor for you. Sometimes it does feel like that when someone you really like is in the room, like you are going to pass out, it has happened to me before. (lol) but it's awesome when a guy does it, for sure! Woot, thanks for reading.**

**_Invader Hog_**


	4. Apple

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Number 3 on the list and a pretty cute one. Thanks for reading!**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, but I do know a thing or too about writing stories…**

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**Apple**

**"How could you like green apples... they're so much sweeter when red. But then again... green does match your nasty attitude!"**

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Ahiru skipped along the edge of the lake as the bright summer day lifted her spirits ten fold. She had been worried about Mytho lately and it was nice to know she could walk around during the day and have clarity. Soon she was at the other side of the lake, where she heard the familiar mumbling of Fakir, the Knight and right hand of the Prince Mytho. He was sitting under a tree, a pad of paper and case of green apples sitting next to him. Fakir had decided to take a break from saving the world and write a nice little story for himself by the lake, trying to escape from people like Ahiru and the troubles of the Prince and the Raven story.

Ahiru tip-toed towards him as his pen scratched away at the paper, his thoughts flowing on the paper endlessly, his spare hand folding a half-eaten green apple. Ahiru had never understood how people could eat those things. They were green, which usually meant diseased in a fruit, and it was so much sweeter than a good red apple.

She ducked down behind the tree Fakir was under, watching him as he wrote furiously on the page. He seemed to be engrosses in his work and only paused for a few seconds to stare at the page and take a large bite of the apple. Ahiru tried to reach out for the fruit, but it seemed Fakir sensed her there since he sighed and set his work down.

"What do you want Ahiru?"

Ahiru fell over and sighed, she wasn't exactly stealthy, to say to the least. She crawled from around the tree, laughing and trying not to look like an idiot.

"Hey there, Fakir! How's it going?" Ahiru asked brightly, trying not to look too guilty of sneaking around.

"I was enjoying my afternoon, actually, but apparently I can't even do that anymore…" Fakir said, beginning to eat his apple with more notice. Ahiru grabbed an apple and examined it, ignoring Fakir's remark. The entire crate was filled to the brim with large green apples.

"Where did these come from?' Ahiru asked, showing an apple to Fakir.

"I bought them at the store."

"You bought this whole thing?! Are you really going to eat them all?"

"I like green apples so every time the lady at the store has them, I buy them. She had a crate left, so I decided to take them."

"You stole them?!"

"Bought them, Moron!" he said, hitting her on the head with his free hand. Ahiru let out a little yelp and glared at him as he smirked and went back to eating his apple.

"How could you like green apples… they're so much sweeter than red. But then again… green does match your nasty attitude!" Ahiru said, waving a green apple in the air as Fakir looked at her in surprise.

"Are they really that sweet?" he asked, looking at the apple and taking a bite.

"You're so weird… I bet Mytho knows the difference between red apples and green apples."

"I'm sure he does. They're different colors," Fakir said, beginning to write something down. In return of his comment, a green apple was thrown at his head, knocking him over. Ahiru gasped and hurried to his side.

"Oh! Fakir! I didn't mean to actually hit you that hard!" she cried, shaking his shoulders and leaning into him. Fakir opened an eye and grabbed Ahiru by the shoulder, bringing her closer to his face.

"A-Ah! W-What is it?" she asked, her heart beginning to pound in her chest. Fakir closed his eye and moved close to her, enough that his lips were close to her own. Ahiru felt her body go ridged as she waited for something to happen, but when nothing did she looked at him.

"W-What are you doing?!" she said, Fakir seeming to be asleep since he still had his eyes closed. She was about to hit him again when a sudden peck hit her lips and she froze again. Fakir sat up and smirked, picking up an apple.

"There you go," he said, sticking it in her mouth and gathering his things, laughing and leaving her to shout after him and throwing more apples.

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**-A little longer than my last one, which I am a little glad about. Hope you liked it.**

**Invader Hog**


	5. Bugs

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: #5 on the list, and a pretty funny one, to say the least. Thanks for reading**

**Disclaimer: I love Princess Tutu but I do not own her, Fakir does…**

**A/N: I just wanted everyone to know that I love bugs, like they don't bother me, so I am just as confused as Fakir is.**

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**Bugs**

**_Wonder always strikes him as he sees her squeal and sprint half a mile away from an insect one thousand times smaller than her._**

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The ballet hall was loud and buzzing as the spring broke and everyone was getting ready for the weekend. The dancers chattered about what they were going to do and other such things as Ahiru pulled her uniform on.

"Ahiru? Are you going somewhere?" Pique asked, looking at the duck.

"Oh, not really. I was just going to see how Fakir and Mytho were," Ahiru said brightly, though she was more looking forward to bothering Fakir, since he wasn't much for springtime.

"Really?" Lillie asked, sighing and pulling on her own uniform and fixing her hair.

"Yeah, so I'll see you guys later!" Ahiru said as she skipped out of the locker rooms towards the dorms.

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Fakir happened to be passing by the dance hall on his way to the dorms when he saw Ahiru come barreling out of the door, almost hitting him on her way out.

"Oh! Fakir! Sorry about that!" Ahiru said, laughing a little with embarrassment but Fakir just looked annoyed at her. The girl was incapable of walking a straight line without falling over, Fakir had decided.

"What do you want?" he asked, trying to see like it didn't bother him how close to him she was. Ahiru suddenly seemed to remember what she had been doing.

"I came to see how you and Mytho were doing," Ahiru said excitedly, liking the change of subject.

"We're fine," Fakir said, turning to leave, already getting a little annoyed with her bouncing around. Ahiru suddenly screamed out loud and froze.

"What's wrong?" he asked, turning his head. She was staring at something on the ground, not daring to move a muscle. Fakir looked to see what she was looking at and noticed a tiny little ladybug waddling around on the ground, seeming lost. Ahiru was standing perfectly still, watching the ladybug intently, trying not to lose her nerve.

"It's just a…" Fakir said, walking back towards Ahiru, where she was still standing stock still. Suddenly Ahiru let out another shriek as the lady bug changed its course and began to walk towards Ahiru. She jumped and bolted the other direction, leaving Fakir to watch her run at full speed somewhere away from the bug.

"Weird… didn't she do that…." Fakir thought, trying to remember the many other times she had done that, screaming and running the other way when he or Mytho was around. He had thought she was only being weird, but now it seemed that the little duck had an interesting fear of bugs.

"Hey! Ahiru! Where'd you go?" Fakir called as he went searching for her, and he only sighed as she screamed and began running different directions when she found a nice little next of spiders in the woods. Wonder always strikes him as he sees her squeal and sprint half a mile away from an insect that is a thousand times smaller than her.

"Oi! Ahiru! You're gonna fall in the water! Oi! I told you so!"

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**-I really have not problem with bugs, just only when something jumps at me, it bothers me. Poor little Ahiru, thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	6. Dark

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: I skipped number 6 and went on to seven, so this is #7. Thanks for reading.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, but I made Fakir my pet.**

**A/N: I forgot to mention that I skipped #6 only because I didn't quite know what to write yet, but I will get to it, not problem.**

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**Dark**

**"Fakir… can I sleep with you… I-I'mafriadofthedark."**

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Fakir opened his eyes slowly as he saw someone standing over him, looking worried. He had been dreaming of a lake when he was awakened by a whisper of a slightly hysterical girl. Fakir, blinked slowly as his blurry vision began to become clear again.

Ahiru was gripping a pillow tightly in her arms, her large blue eyes shinning in the lamplight from next to Fakir's bed. He stared at her for a moment, trying to process what was going on. He sat up as she took a step back, looking around the dark room.

"Ahiru? What are you doing here?" he asked, looking at her with confusion. It was pretty late, so why wasn't she in her dorm?

"Fakir… uh… it's raining," Ahiru said, turning and looking out the window. Fakir saw the lightning and raindrops spilling over his window.

"Yeah… so?" he asked, still confused.

"W-Well… I… T-The power is off… in our dorms…" she said, looking over at the dark dorm across the square. Fakir still didn't seem to understand, as he sat silently waiting for a better explanation, but Ahiru couldn't seem to provide one for him without getting embarrassed.

"So what? Weren't you sleeping?" Fakir asked, confused as to what the lights had to do with her sleeping.

"Well…"

"Look, I want to go back to bed, so could you hurry up?" Fakir said, looking annoyed. Mytho was still sleeping soundly in the bed next to him, apparently not shaken by Ahiru's entrance in their dorm. Fakir glared at Mytho, envious of him, since Ahiru hadn't forced him awake in the middle of the night. Lightning lit up the sky outside and Ahiru gasped, surprised at it.

"W-Well…" she tired again, Fakir beginning to lose his very short patience, "Fakir… can I sleep with you… I-I'mafraidofthedark."

Fakir blinked as the thunder rang through the sky. Ahiru looked out the window, trying to hide her blush. No one else knew she was afraid of the dark, but then again, she had always been able to sleep with a light on, until that night, when the rain knocked out her power. She had been awoken by the thunder to discover that her light was off. She panicked and saw the lamp in Fakir's room, and hurried over, seeking comfort in its warmth.

Now she was standing over him, begging Fakir to let her sleep with him, seeking the lamp beside his bed. Fakir was just sitting in his bed, confused and his head spinning.

"Uh… W-Why…"

Ahiru felt her cheeks turn red and she began to panic.

"I'm sorry! I-I just has a-always been afraid of the dark a-and now I just n-need somewhere to s-sleep for tonight! Please!" she begged, though Fakir wasn't exactly worrying about her fear, but the fact that she wanted to sleep in his bed.

"Ahiru… I… I guess…" he said, seeing the desperation in her eyes. Ahiru gasped and suddenly jumped on the bed and hugged him tightly.

"Oh! Thank you Fakir!" she said, burying her head into the crook of his neck in her joy. Fakir felt his heart begin to pound at how close to him she was. The rain pounded on the roof and the windows outside, as the morning still seemed a long way off.

"O-Okay… just, lie down," Fakir said, trying to hide his blush as she smiled at him. The lamp burned lowly as the pair was lying next to each other, Fakir trying to calm his heart down. Ahiru said nothing and seemed to immediately fall asleep, since she turned to face Fakir, and bury her head in his chest.

"A-Ah! Ahiru! Stop it!" Fakir whispered harshly, trying to get her off, but her soft snoring made him sigh. She was already out like a light. Hmm… the irony….

Unable to move, Fakir just wrapped his arm over Ahiru's shoulder, deciding that he would worry about it in the morning.

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"Fakir? Ahiru? Are you two okay?" Mytho asked, the morning sunlight pouring through the window. "They are sleeping…"

"Fakir…" Ahiru whispered into Fakir's shirt, gripping him tightly as she slept on. Mytho smiled slightly and left the room, leaving the sleeping pair alone for the remainder of the morning…

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-** Heh, I liked this one, it was fun to write. I coulnd't finish it forever because I couldn't think of a good ending, but I guess this will do... still wish I could of thought of something else... darn... oh well. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	7. Green

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Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck

**Summary: Fifty one-shots from our favorite Duck and Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, but I do own Fakir's soul.**

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**Green**

"Fakir… What does it mean when they say 'the grass is greener on the other side'?"

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The ballet department was in an uproar as the postings for the new ballet parts for the annual play was put up. Ahiru found herself staring at the postings for a good fifteen minutes. Everyone chatted rapidly, but then started to slowly back off when they realized what Ahiru had realized. Her named was even on the list. She wasn't even one of the extra dancers. The Nutcracker, one of the greatest ballets of all time, and she wasn't even on the list to participate. Lillie had patted her shoulder when she came up behind her.

"Sorry, Ahiru. I guess the grass is really greener on the other side."

"Huh?" she turned her head to look at her friend, but she was already off to the dorms. She looked back but nothing was going to change the fact that she wasn't on the list.

"Ahiru?"

"Hello, Pique. Lillie already left for the dorms."

"I heard that you didn't… But it looks like Rue is going to be the Sugarplum Fairy! Oh! And Mythos is going to be… her Prince…"

"Fakir is the Nutcracker," Ahiru whispered, the depression of being the only ballet student not in the cast.

"Well, you know as they say, "the grass is always greener on the other side." I am sure that next year you'll get a great part!"

Pique hurried off, leaving the now completely depressed Ahiru alone. It was probably for the better, since her and Lillie had gotten fairly big parts as well. A few moments passed as Ahiru began to move and finally pulled herself away from the postings. She was really upset now and not sure what to do. She was usually full of optimism and happiness, but at that moment she felt really stupid. She really was just a dumb duck who probably shouldn't even bother practicing.

She walked for a good five minutes before she found herself standing at the edge of lake. Stopping she wondered if she should just turn into a duck and cry alone.

"Hey!" came a call and she jumped, quacking and changing instantly. Fakir had just come around a tree, forgetting how jumpy Ahiru was. She came out from under her clothes, head spinning. She looked up to see Fakir, who sighed a little.

"You are such a dork. Hurry up and change back," he said, turning away as she hopped into the water and got dressed quickly.

"What do you want?" she asked, her depression beginning to set in again.

"I saw the postings for the ballet," he admitted, sitting down next to her, watching her stare at the water. A long silence followed, making Fakir believe that she didn't want to talk about it. He knew she was always trying, and if she really wanted to get a great part, all she had to do was become Princess Tutu and she would do great. But somehow she was a terrible dancer without her magic.

"Fakir… What does it mean when they say 'the grass is always greener on the other side'?"

The question was sudden, and caught him a little of guard. He actually had to pause for a moment to think about it.

"Uh, well… it means that what someone else has is always going to look better than what you've got. For example, if you had a beautiful dress that you really liked, but someone else had an even better dress than yours, you'll always want that dress that is better. No matter what it is, you will always want something better than what you have."

Ahiru was silent for the longest time. If that was the meaning, than why did everyone keep telling her that? She had not gotten a part, how was telling her something silly like that helpful?

"Why?"

"Since I didn't get a part, Lillie and Pique kept saying it to me… I don't understand why."

"Probably because they don't know how else to tell you that they are sorry that they have a part and you don't," he suggested, staring at the water now. She sighed heavily and Fakir smiled ever so slightly at the water.

"You're going to come to the ballet, right?" he asked, looking over at her.

"Of course!" she declared, suddenly regaining her fighting spirit. She wouldn't dare miss the chance to see her favorite show.

"To see me, of course," he added and she smiled at him.

"Of course! I would never miss the chance to see you dance!" Ahiru exclaimed, looking at him with her usual pure determination. He didn't smile on the outside but he was beaming on the inside. He nodded and stood up.

"Well, let's get back, it's time to eat."

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- **Wanted to pick this up again because I re-watched the entire series. I still love the story and felt inspired again to finish this fifty-one-shots thing. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	8. Rain

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and a Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu.**

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**Rain**

"I've always wondered what a kiss in the rain would be like…"

"It's never too late to find out."

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It seemed to come down in buckets. For three straight days, it was nothing but miserable hours of nothing but rain, lightning and endless thunder. Even Ahiru, the usually cheerful type, was beginning to lose her spirit. It seemed like it was never going to end. The ballet students would practice still, but the aches in their legs and arms seemed to increase by the dreary weather.

On the third day, Lillie and Pique left for the dorms without Ahiru when she was stuck practicing after class again. Mr. Cat had been giving her a harder time than usual because he hated the rain with a passion and his mood was ever more depressing. He had increased his threats of marriage even more than usual. Ahiru stretched and practiced and was only let go when she had satisfied Mr. Cat for a full extra hour of practice.

She grabbed her umbrella after changing and began to walk outside. Standing in the rain, talking with a fellow ballet student, was none other than Fakir. He was looking as grim as ever, since lately Mythos had been spending all his time with Rue, under her spell of the Raven's Blood. The student said his goodbyes when Ahiru came up by Fakir's side.

"Hello," she said, though her usual happy greeting was soured by the weather. Fakir noticed this strange change and found that he didn't like it. She wasn't the kind of person to get depressed and it really didn't suit her at all. He coughed a little and looked at the rain.

"You seem depressed," he said, looking at the dorms, soaking in the endless rain.

"I am, this rain just won't stop," she replied, looking sadly at the sky. Fakir made a coughing sound and she looked at him.

"What?"

"Just trying to take in the idea that there is something in this entire world that makes you depressed. We've fought countless ravens and the rain is what gets you down," he said, covering a chuckle with another cough. Ahiru did not speak but just stood silently, wondering what to say. The rain just seemed so endless.

"I've always wondered what a kiss in the rain would be like…"

"It's never too late to find out."

Both of these statements were so sudden and so surprising that neither realized what they had said until it had already been spoken. A blush grew on Ahiru's cheeks as the sound of rain pounding on her umbrella and the rooftops blocked out the pounding of her heart. Fakir was also having issues trying to look like he was only joking, especially since his own heart kept skipping beats as well.

"Y-You…"

Fakir barely heard what she said when he dropped his own umbrella and grabbed her shoulders. The motion was violent and a little surprising, that Ahiru had no time to react and no time to escape. He took only a slight breath and kissed her hard. Harder probably than he meant to, but she did not back away. Actually, she kissed him right back, though she probably had no idea what she was doing. The rain continued loudly around them and before Ahiru knew what was happening, he had pulled away and was grabbing his umbrella, almost like they were just having a normal conversation.

Fakir turned back to look at her, and without any warning, kissed her on the cheek and hurried off to his dorm. Ahiru stared after him, unsure of what to do. It wasn't until Lillie and Pique happened by, did she stop dreaming and return to reality.

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** - Fakir, you sly dog. I personally cannot stand the rain falling on my head, so I was glad to charge through this one. Ahiru is so cute! Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	9. Metal

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots between our favorite Duck and Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu.**

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**Metal**

The thin but heavy sword never looked so tempting since she passed.

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He didn't know what happened. She was there one moment and then she was gone the next. Taken from him like a beautiful dream. Since that day he had nothing but nightmares. He could barely stand without thinking about how he missed her touch, her face, and her voice. None could comfort him because they did not understand. They had something that no one else had. He loved her more than anything in the world and there was nothing that could replace his pain.

He watched her disappear; he screamed her name and saw that she was never coming back. She was gone from this world forever and the only thing he could do was wait to follow her. Nothing would bring him the happiness he felt when he was with her.

Fakir was nothing without his Ahiru. There was no doubt in his mind anymore. He was done. He would never understand and feel the warmth of her smile and listen to her strange ranting. The girl he loved and admired was gone.

The thin but heavy sword never looked so tempting since she passed. He could not deny that he wanted so much to just push her out of his mind and end everything. What was the point of going on if she wasn't there? So finally he decided and was determined to do what he wanted and get it over with.

He stood next to her lake and put his sword handle on the ground lightly. He had seen his own Prince do the same, it was not difficult to copy. He closed his eyes because he wanted to see her one last time before it was over.

It was the dead of winter and it was two days later when they found him lying next to the water. He had bled out and there was no life left in him. But the strangest thing was that he seemed so peaceful and happy in his death, because he had found her again.

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** - Short because the thought of Fakir dying just makes me emo. I wanted it to be short and sweet. Just finished watching Swan Lake from 1976, where they die at the end. I was in an emo mood.**

**Invader Hog**


	10. Doors

**Life, Liberty and Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: Your mom owns Princess Tutu! Or not…**

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**Doors**

"Ahiru! If you slam that door one more time I'll--!"

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Fighting is a natural part of the dating process. Everyone knows this. Any couple that doesn't fight is just weird. Or in trouble. But the idea that Ahiru and Fakir were having a fight was probably the strangest thing that anyone had ever witnessed. Lillie happened to be subject to this particular fight, since it was happening right outside of her own room. Pique had gone to the store to get some soda and the shouts of an angry Ahiru and Fakir stirred the young blonde from her desk.

She stuck her head out and was suddenly pushed back by Ahiru. She invaded the room and Fakir came storming down the hall after her.

"Don't you dare!" he yelled, almost reaching for the door when Ahiru slammed it in his face. He let out a loud yell and kicked the door.

"AHIRU!" he shouted, almost waking the entire dorm. Lillie stared at Ahiru's back as she kicked the door too.

"FAKIR!" she yelled mockingly.

"Woman! Open this door or I swear to the Monster Raven, I will break it down!" he yelled, though Lillie did not understand the reference. Ahiru growled and opened the door quickly.

"Why can't you just admit you were wrong?!"

"Me? Wrong?! I'm never wrong!" he yelled back, as she pushed him away from the door.

"You never want to say you were wrong but nooooo, that would mean that you actually don't know something for a change!" Ahiru said, walking back to the room.

"Woman, I am not wrong!" he said, and she slammed the door in his face again. He growled and pounded on the door with his fist.

"What is going on?" Lillie asked, but Ahiru wasn't even listening. She opened the door again and glared at him. Fakir was even angrier.

"Ahiru! If you slam that door one more time I'll--!" he yelled, but she slammed it before he could finish.

"Go away Fakir!" she shouted, and he yelled and cursed a few more times before he gave the door one last kick and sulked off to his own dorm. Ahiru growled and when she reached for a lamp to break, Lillie just sat her down, trying to calm her down.

Lovers tended to squabble and Lillie was not about to ask what this was about. All she could think of was how terrible the experience had been for her poor door.

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- **Poor door. My daddy once broke down my door to my room because he was really upset. Luckily that meant I got a new door! ^.^ Had the new door for a good five more years before I moved out of that house. Fakir and Ahiru are fun to write about. Pretty short but pretty awesome right? Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	11. Welcome

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots for a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu.**

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**Welcome**

"WELCOME HOME FAKIR!"

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Fakir was coming home from a long and grueling class and he was tired and aching all over. Normally he would feel fine, but he had been forced to pick up fifteen different dancers during auditions since Mythos decided not to come to practice. He was probably off with Rue somewhere, getting talked into doing something weird.

So he was not going to do anything else but go home and sleep as long as possible. However, someone else had different ideas. When he approached the dorms, he reached for the knob when suddenly a shout made him nearly jump out of his own skin.

"WELCOME HOME FAKIR!" she shouted, making him push up against the door. It was fairly late at night, the moon was already showing, and there Ahiru was standing, dressed in a strange yellow outfit. She looked more like a duck than ever.

"Y-You…" he said, getting control of his feelings. If he had been armed, things would have been different and she wouldn't be smiling so brightly.

"How was practice?" she asked, overjoyed to have found someone to talk to. The others were already heading for bed and she had a feeling that she might need to become Princess Tutu at a moment's notice. She had spotted Fakir from across the lawn so she came over to say hello.

"Fine," he mumbled, turning around and reaching for the knob. She didn't just end the conversation. Quite the opposite, Ahiru chattered on and on, following him all the way up to his room. Fakir's patience was growing thin and he was certain he was going to kill her any moment. He reached his door and now she was on the subject of how strange it was that peanut butter and jelly just seemed to go well together.

"Ahiru!" he barked, making her silent instantly. He didn't speak for a moment, surprised that she even knew how to be so quiet. He took in a long breath and then opened his door. "If you're going to talk, go into my room."

Her face lit up and she skipped right past him into the room. Mythos was gone, but Ahiru didn't seem to notice. She sat down on Fakir's bed and continued to talk about how great the room was and whatever else came to mind. Although Fakir was terribly exhausted, he felt strangely at ease with her presence. He lay out on his bed, Ahiru continuing to just ramble on and on, and before he knew what had happened, she had put him to sleep.

Ahiru looked to get confirmation from him that it was strange that aliens made crop circles. She turned her head to see his eyes were closed and his breathing was even. She leaned closer and saw that he was asleep. She smiled a little, not at all annoyed that he had fallen asleep on her. Actually, she thought he was really adorable when he was sleeping.

"Welcome home, Fakir," she whispered into his ear and pecked his cheek before slipping out of the room. Sleeping still, Fakir dreamed of a little duck doing the same thing…

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**- If I could dream, I would get to dance a pas a duex with Fakir! Woot! Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	12. War

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, but I do own Fakir… okay maybe I don't.**

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**War**

Before it was a fight between the light and the dark… but now, it was a fight between his brain and his heart.

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They say that people are not great, but have greatness thrusted upon them. Fakir was not really one for understanding why other people would have even used such a weird metaphor in this kind of situation. Actually, he didn't even know why he was even thinking that. His mind seemed to get off track a lot these days. Since the end of the story, the Prince and Princess returned to their kingdom and everything at peace, war seemed to become a constant within Fakir.

He had gone through a lot to get where he was and everything had made a lot of sense since the beginning of his journey as the Knight in his story. He had changed his destiny and had helped to destroy the Monster Raven. During every fight, everything had made perfect sense and was clear. Fight the enemy, kill the bad guy, win the war. Nothing more than that actually seemed to ever cross his mind. That was, until he started to find himself falling for a girl.

During the harsh battles and the constant self-questioning, Fakir found himself falling even more in love with a girl who wasn't actually a girl. She was a duck and would always be one. Well, she was going to remain a duck forever when he suddenly wrote it down on paper that she had returned to her regular Ahiru self, the one he was so used to. Not the duck, not Princess Tutu, just Ahiru. The girl.

Why Fakir had done this, was beyond him. He stood staring at her in her regular form, only a towel to cover her because he had done it so suddenly. She looked just as surprised, but did not disagree. For some strange reason, Ahiru enjoyed returning to being just another girl. She would have been content, she believed, forever as a duck, as long as Fakir was there. But that was not going to be enough for him.

That was the problem he was currently having. Ahiru in her actual form was never going to be enough for Fakir. He needed more. His brain was shouting at him that it had been a mistake. As a duck, Ahiru would never leave him and he could be content just sitting with her all day. His heart, however, had been shouting at him for the longest time to turn her back, make her his and his alone.

He was having an internal war and it was beginning to get on his nerves. He watched as Ahiru disappeared behind a tree to put on a shirt of his and some pants, to avoid him staring at her. She had a feeling that he had done this with a purpose, but was not going to let him take advantage of staring at her while he made up his idiot mind.

Fakir was beginning to panic. Why was this so difficult? A beautiful, adorable, perfect girl was right in front of him and he was still hesitating. He had the power to make his dreams come true and he still doubted himself.

Before it was a fight between the light and the dark… but now, it was a fight between his brain and his heart. He needed to decide what he was going to do soon because before he knew it, Ahiru reappeared from behind the tree. She looked as she had when she returned to her true form. It had only been a few weeks since the end of the story and nothing much had really changed since Fakir continued his writing.

Now was the time to act, but dammit if Fakir wasn't having the hardest time figuring out what to do. His heart told him this was the right idea, that this is what they both wanted but his head was yelling at him for having been so stupid. Ahiru waited patiently, seeing the frustration with the thoughts slamming into each other on his face.

"Ahiru!" he said suddenly, and she nodded. That was her name.

"Fakir…" she said quietly. He blushed a little and realized that this war had already been won on his insides. The writing on his page was the last battle and his heart had won the day. It was over and he was just the last one to admit it.

"E-Even though I said that a duck was your true form…" he said quickly, trying to hurry this speech along before he let his head try to talk him out of his heart's victory, "I-It will never be enough for me. I love you so much that just being with you in your normal state is just not enough."

She blushed and a smile began to grow. She had longed to hear him say that. Without another word, she ran to him, hugging him tightly and he kissed her forehead.

Score one for his heart.

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**- Another fairly short one. Who doesn't love the idea of Fakir having an inner war? I sure do. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	13. Snow

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, but I have Autor locked in my dorm organizing my books.**

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**Snow**

A black flag was raised from behind her fort as a small voice yelled, "EXPECT NO MERCY!"

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The winter seemed to bring nothing but endless snow. This was a good thing for the ballet school because it meant that a snow day was in store. One late afternoon, lessons were released early and Ahiru and her friends were allowed to run out into the bright sun, the cold air and see the entire school blanketed in three feet of pure white snow. It had just finished falling when they were released.

"Snowball fight!" Ahiru declared and before anyone knew what was happening, forts were being built, teams formed and enemies to douse in snow. The other students, the art and music, were all getting out at the same time and ended up in the middle of the snow wars. They were soon sucked into the hour-long fight, a battle that seemed to range longer than any that Ahiru had ever been in.

Many snowballs were thrown, but the target that Ahiru really wanted to get was Fakir. He had just walked out of the ballet building when the art team moved in on the music students, all students involved getting hit with the cold wonderful snow. There was laughter and cheering and the ballet girls were ready for a new target.

"Get Fakir!" Ahiru whispered loudly, and the girls all got ready. He was halfway through the battlefield, having been paying no real attention to what was going on around him.

The girls all made a battle cry and stood up, attacking Fakir. He had no time to react and was dealt with fifteen different snowballs at once. Ahiru's hit him in the head and he fell over in the snow.

"Fakir!" she yelled, the other girls gasping. His head popped out of the snow and glared at them all. Before they could run, he was throwing his own snowballs at them. They were screaming and laughing as they retreated to their fort. Fakir had joined the alliance of the art and music students as the other ballet and remaining teams hurried to join the ballet girls. The snow was beginning to melt and they were getting tired so it was agreed that this was their last hurrah before they went to go eat and rest.

Fakir looked at the other students, seeing that most of them were already soaking from the snow and enjoying the fine cool weather. He had never been involved in a snowball fight before, but since it was much like being a knight in battle, he found that it was really nothing different. He just knew that he was going to get Ahiru back for her snowball to the head.

"We're going to finish this and head to eat," Autor said, having been dragged into the fight by another music student. The other students agreed and got their snowballs ready.

"Ahiru! You better give up! We're way better than you!" an art student called, looking over the top of the fort. Fakir looked around their fort to see the other one.

A black flag was raised from behind her fort and a small voice yelled, "EXPECT NO MERCY!"

The battle began and it was an all out brawl. Snowballs were flying. Kids were laughing, getting hit and getting more snow to throw at each other. The battle was over by the time the clock struck three. Everyone had been hit and it was time to head to the dorms. Ahiru hung back a moment to get her scarf, having lost it after Autor had thrown a snowball at her when she was bending down to get another snowball.

"Hey," came Fakir's voice and suddenly a big patch of snow went down Ahiru's back and she quaked loudly, disappearing into her little form. Fakir grinned, picking up her angry little duck body and shielding her from the cold.

"I win," he said, and she only glared, expecting him to pick up her stuff and return her to her dorm. Before he let her off at her room to return to her normal form, he kissed her forehead lightly.

"Expect no mercy next time," he said, leaving her to blush and quack after him.

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**- A fic about winter in the middle of summer. Gotta love it. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	14. Head

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: Never touch the Mythos…**

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**Head (in relation to Air)**

"OUCH! THAT HURT! FAKIRRRR!"

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After the terrible incident where Fakir mysteriously fainted, Ahiru had been worried about him a lot more than usual. She feared that there was something wrong with him and as he kept trying to avoid her more often, she knew that something was wrong. But she really wasn't sure what it was.

Autor had told her that it was her fault, but Ahiru had no idea what he had meant by that. It was impossible to believe that he meant that she had inflicted something on Fakir. That didn't make any sense whatsoever. She was certain that he was probably just sick. Or he could be suffering from a horrible plot by the Monster Raven!

Ahiru found herself even more worried about Fakir and seeking him out as much as she could. He avoided her like the plague, however, and it made her feel even worse than before. She was starting to really like him and the thought that he didn't like her as a friend was a terrible feeling for the little duck. She didn't like it one bit and one afternoon, she decided she would corner Fakir and make sure that he was alright and that the Monster Raven had not done anything to him.

At least, that was Ahiru's plan. What actually happened was something completely different. She was running ridiculously fast, and just as she was catching up to Fakir, he suddenly disappeared down a hill. A hill she hadn't seen coming. A hill that was quite steep. A hill that had a lot of open ground, but plenty of sharp rocks at the bottom. A hill that just screamed for someone like Ahiru to come tumbling down.

If it had been anyone else, they would have stopped in time. But since it was Ahiru, she had no choice but go against the world and with one slip, she rolling past Fakir, sliding down the hill at break neck speeds and just barely avoided the sharp rocks, only to polevolt over them to land on her head and then on her back at the bottom of the hill. Fakir stared in wonder and was slightly terrified. He hurried down the hill as fast as he could, gracefully not slipping as easily as one Ahiru. He almost reached her, thinking she might have been knocked out when she suddenly cried out.

"OUCH! THAT HURT! FAKIRRRRR!" she yelled, beginning to cry like a little kid. She was bleeding, but not terribly and Fakir was soon at her side. His breathing increased and the pressure on his chest was the same as before, but this was not just from seeing Ahiru, it was seeing her hurt. He helped her sit up as he looked at her head.

"What in the world are you thinking, woman?" he asked, pulling out a handkerchief to cover up the wound. She finally regained the ability to see, her tears just flowing without her screaming anymore. She stared at Fakir and without warning, hugged him tightly, crying into his uniform.

"FAKIRRRRRR! IT HURRRT!"

"Hey, hey!" he said, blushing and getting that weight feeling on his chest again. He had to let her cry it out. It was the only way. Ahiru had been so upset to think that Fakir had hated her and was avoiding her or that the Monster Raven had done something terrible to him, but here he was, taking care of her.

She continued to cry loudly, hugging him tighter as he soothing shushed her and hugged her back. She finally began to calm down again as Fakir rocked her a little to calm her down. Ahiru sniffed and pulled away from him, wiping her tears.

"F-Fakir… Y-You helped me…"

"Of course, idiot. Who else is here?" he asked, looking around to see that no one else had seen this little spill.

"B-But I thought Fakir hated me!" she cried, sniffing loudly.

"I-Idiot… I don't hate you…" he said, blushing and getting that pressure on his chest again as he stared into her deep blue eyes. "C-Come on… I'll carry you home."

She smiled brightly and held up her hands as he lifted her up. She placed her head in the crook of his neck and smiled the entire walk home. At least Fakir didn't hate her.

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**- After much deliberation, I have decided to join Star Fleet. Please, do not stop me. It's what Cadet Chekov and Fakir want. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	15. Honor

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu.**

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**Honor**

'Its an honor,' she says, handing the pendant to Mytho but Fakir knows better, faking a smile; "No…" he mutters, "It's a surrender."

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The Monster Raven had given her an ultimatum. She either gave her pendant to the Prince or watches him and Rue die. She couldn't let that happen. All that she had worked for, all they had worked for together, to return his heart had to be for a reason. She had to trust that what she was doing the best idea.

Fakir had danced with her and promised he would never leave her. She knew that it was true, but her doubts still crept into her mind. That was the Raven's power, creating doubts, making one think there was no other alternative. The Prince looked down at her from his prison and stood up. He knew that she was going to come back and was going to be expecting that she return the last piece of his heart.

He watched her fly up to him, the prison walls beginning to disappear. She had to believe in him. She had to have faith that he was going to make everything better. She had to believe that all they had fought for was not useless.

Rue needed his help and Ahiru knew in her heart that only the Prince in the story could save her. He had already picked her as his princess and she would never ask him to change him mind. She didn't want him to. Fakir was what she wanted and needed, and at the moment Rue needed her Prince. Princess Tutu was standing in their way and she needed to do what was best for her Prince. It would be an honor to do as he asked of her.

'It's an honor,' she says, handing the pendant to Mytho but Fakir knows better, faking a smile; "No…" he mutters, "It's a surrender."

He wrote the words down and she let go of her pendant, returning to her real form. She was a duck again and before the final fight. While she knew it had been the best, Ahiru still felt like she was not doing everything she should have. Fakir refused to believe that she was being weak by giving her pedant up. He knew that they would make it through this battle if the Prince would fight.

"I know it's hard, and I know you don't want to. But you have to. We have to end this story."

And with this thought, he began to write diligently, knowing that soon they would be finished with the end.

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**- Really short because my idea came and went halfway through writing so I just hurried up and ended it. Not my proudest work. Oh wells... Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	16. Little Things

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu.**

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**Little Things**

It's the small things he does for her that make her smile on a daily basis…

* * *

Ahiru sat on the edge of the wall, her legs banging back and forth as she waited for Lillie and Pique to return from practice. She moved her head from side to side as she waited, humming loudly and wondering how long it was going to take. The clouds above were thick and soon she found herself wondering which each one might look like. She saw one that looked like a duck, and nodded her approval. Then she found another that might have been a bird, but she decided it was a raven. Further in her search for different shapes, she began to ease backwards, not paying attention to how far she was going. Just as she was flapping her arms and falling off of the wall, someone shouted and caught her in time.

She opened eyes and see the tall and handsome Fakir glaring down at her.

"What are you doing, idiot? You almost fell," he said, picking her up and setting her down on the ground. Ahiru laughed, embarrassed and trying to not look like it. Fakir only shook his head and began to walk away.

"Thanks!" she called and he only threw up a careless hand before disappearing around a corner. She smiled and wandered up to the ballet school steps, deciding it was safer to wait there for the others.

Another long moment passed and she started to stare off into the clouds, wondering if one of the clouds she was observing was a cat or a mouse. She sat there for a long time, not noticing she was being observed from afar. Fakir would never admit it to anyone that he was worried about anyone, especially not Ahiru. The girl got herself into more trouble than anyone he knew and it was rather annoying.

Ahiru on the other hand had a tendency just laugh everything off. At least he did get the consolidation that she was much more graceful in her Princess Tutu form, but that form came on the rarest of occasions when really important matters needed to be handled. On the daily things, Ahiru as a Duck was terribly clumsy and useless and needed constant supervision it seemed. If she had had parents, they would have probably been driven mad by now.

Ahiru was still staring off into the sky when suddenly the doors of the ballet school opened and Lillie came out, almost tripping over her friend. Fakir glared in annoyance. He rather disliked Ahiru's choice in friends. They were just as weird as her, if not weirder and could turn into his enemy any moment. It was all very frustrating.

"Hello!" she called, and soon joined them on a walk. Fakir disappeared once again into the campus and Ahiru walked with Lillie and Pique.

"What is going on?"

"Nothing…" she replied, smiling at Pique.

"You sure? You seem a little pre-occupied," her pink haired friend replied, looking at the dazed Ahiru. She had been thinking about how Fakir had saved her during her little tumble on the wall. He was always doing little things like that for her.

One time he had waited in the rain to make sure she had not forgotten her umbrella, which she had, but swore it was because Princess Tutu didn't get sick. There were other little things that he said and had done that were not noticed by anyone else. But Ahiru saw them. While she had been waiting, she noticed Fakir standing behind the pillar of the music building. He was never really good at hiding, and she spotted his green hair. He had wandered off in another direction, but soon returned to make sure she wasn't going to get herself into trouble again.

"No, of course not!" she exclaimed, and looked at the clouds. Of course, she picked a terrible time to look up because the girls didn't have time to warn her that she was about to walk into the fountain and before she knew it, she was in the water. Luckily falling in the water when she was a girl didn't affect her, but the quack she almost let out would have been bad. Her head popped out of the water and the other students stared down at her, some laughing, and some whispering. She suddenly wanted to turn back into a duck to escape the humiliation.

"Hey! There's some guy selling ice cream over there!" came a call, and Ahiru turned to see the serious Fakir pointing towards the art building. The other students soon forgot about her and hurried off to get their own. He was already carrying two cones of his own. Lillie and Pique helped Ahiru out and she told them to go ahead and she would catch up.

"Idiot, I thought you liked the water," he said, watching her friends skip off to get ice cream. She looked up at and blushed a little. She looked at his outstretched hand, an ice cream cone being offered to her.

"I forgot that Mytho doesn't eat it. Here," he said, trying to sound like he didn't care. Ahiru blushed deeper and smiled a little, taking the ice cream.

"Thank you," she replied, and he turned to leave again.

"You should learn to take better care of yourself, woman," he said, walking off without looking back. But Ahiru didn't mind at all. It's the small things he does on a daily basis that makes her smile…

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**- Liked this one. I had a craving for ice cream, so I just used that for the end. Lol. I love you Fakir!!! Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	17. Coffee

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu.**

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**Coffee**

"It's just like you to rush into things," you smirk as she glares at you, her tongue sticking out from a sudden yet blistering burn.

* * *

It is hard to watch her do anything without being humored. You can't really help it, the girl is a bit of a nutcase. She had the ability to turn into a Princess and into a duck, and yet she still managed to get herself into almost endless amounts of trouble as just a normal girl. You admire this about her because she has qualities that you find adorable and others that you loath with the very core of you.

But the idea that she has a tendency to jump the gun is something that can be really funny at times. Like when you tell her not to sit down at your table. The girl just doesn't know how to listen. You tell her not to order what your having because you know she can't handle it. Its like talking to a child, you tell it not to do something and it makes them want to do it even more.

You promise her that it is a mistake. That she shouldn't do it so quickly and then it happens. You find yourself laughing on the inside while she is panicking across the table. You want to be helpful but unfortunately you are useless in this particular situation because he are smirking at her. She is waving her hands and you are just sipping from your own cup.

"It's just like you to rush into things," you smirk as she glares at you, her tongue sticking out from a sudden yet blistering burn. You had made yourself clear, that it was going to be too hot for her. That she should have listened to you when you were swearing she wasn't going to like it. But like a bull, she just charged right through. You had every right to laugh and smile, and call her an idiot.

"Ow," she whines and you smirk again, not afraid to show your arrogant and "I-told-you-so" side at all. You might as well be proud of it while you can. Later she might do something back, so soak in this moment while you can.

"Idiot."

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**- Man it is really hard to talk in the second person. Had to re-write this one a few times to make sure it sounded right. Short mostly because second person is difficult. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	18. Roses

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Princess Tutu, but if I did I would have given Karehe a better haircut.**

* * *

**Roses**

He grabbed the rose Femio gave her and trampled on it, the most childish thing that she's ever seen Fakir do.

* * *

It had been a strange gift, but it had been a gift nonetheless. Ahiru didn't have a real attachment to this particular gift because it was probably given in the strangest of ways. Femio had been running around, speaking in strange languages and swearing his affection to anything with a pulse. She actually felt that he was probably extremely deprived of attention, that this was his own little dillusion he had created and Ahiru was not going to be the one to snap him out of it.

However, the fact that he had glared at her and the present was a little uncalled for. It was hers and if he had asked nicely, she would have given it to him. Fakir was never really one for having finesse, so it was only natural he would blow up in her face when he grabbed for it and she pulled it closer, not letting him get his hands on it. The glare he gave her and the annoyed looked was also uncalled for and she only glared back. It was like he had forgotten what manners were!

He reached out again, but this time got her attention away from the flower by shouting that there was something the other way and she stupidly looked. He grabbed the rose Femio gave her and trampled on it, the most childish thing that she's ever seen Fakir do. She stared in disbelief, looking down at her poor trampled rose. It had been a gift giving by a strange guy, but it had been nice and she had liked it. She yelled at him for acting like an idiot and he only yelled back that if she liked it so much, she should just go ask the doofus for another one. She only retored that she would and stormed off, angry to think that he could be so rude and treat someone's things so terribly.

After a long pause and a lot of thinking, Fakir got over his sudden bout of jealously and realized that Ahiru had taken the entire incident the wrong way. So there was something he was going to have to do. His pride was not the issue. If he made Ahiru mad, then there was no telling how long it might last and with Mythos running around trying to steal peoples' hearts, Ahiru might be in trouble. So he swallowed his heart and marched down the street into town.

A while later, he was in front of Ahiru's room, knocking on the door. She had still been mad at him, so she refused to open. He demanded she open the door and when that didn't work, he promised to apologize about the rose. She finally gave in, if it meant he was going to actually say he was sorry, which was something Fakir never did. So when the door swung open and two dozen roses appeared in her face and the blushing Fakir was behind them, she didn't know what to do or think. She stared at him, surprised and a blush beginning to grow over her freckles. He was trying to still look like he didn't care and had only brought them as an apology for the rose from earlier. Ahiru wasn't going to just take them without giving him something back. Grabbing the flowers, she kissed his cheek and closed the door behind her, leaving a dizzy Fakir on the other side.

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**- No dialogue because I wanted to change things up a bit. When I wrote "Coffee" in second person, I decided that I wanted to try something else again and see what happened. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	19. Despair

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: Your mom owns Princess Tutu!**

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**Despair**

**"And I'll definitely wallow in a pit of despair when you die," he said rolling his eyes at her.**

* * *

The afternoon was slowly becoming evening and Ahiru was sitting silently on the bench outside of her dorm, watching the fountain. Fakir walked out of his own dorm to see her sitting there and approached. She seemed to be so preoccupied; she didn't notice him walking over to her at all. He sat down and looked at the fountain and then kicked her leg lightly with his foot, making her jump.

"F-Fakir!" she exclaimed, looking at him in surprise. She sat up straight and looked him over once before realizing it had become so late without her realizing it.

"Why are you spacing out?" he asked, stretching his arms over the back of the bench and looking at the full moon above.

"I'm worried about what is going to happen."

"What do you mean?" Fakir asked, looking over at her and seeing that she was terribly troubled. This rare sight was foreign to Fakir so he tried to be a little nicer than normal, "I mean, what's the matter?"

"Returning the Prince his heart seemed like the only thing I could do for him, and I was glad to do it, but now I am worried. Rue drenching his heart in Raven's blood is slowly turning him into a monster."

"Why are you worried?"

"Are we doing the right thing by returning the last pieces of his heart?" Ahiru asked, putting her head on her legs and looking at him. He looked back at the moon and thought.

"Well, the Prince asked you to return his heart and it is our duty to return it to him. But that is not the only reason why you're worried, is it?"

"What if we die, Fakir?" she whispered.

"Everyone dies," he replied simply, looking now at the fountain.

"You and I have been cheating death because we know our ending to the story, but how long can you go without slipping up and getting killed?" Ahiru asked, still watching him with her large blue eyes. He did not reply for the longest time. She was serious and his reply had to be a serious one.

"Ahiru," he said softly, finally looking at her, "The future is not certain, you know that. I would rather die fighting, than doubting. We have escaped our ending for now, but it'll come one day and I don't want to wait around and think about it."

She nodded slightly, and sat up straight again. She felt a little better and more reassured by his words.

"Would you be upset if I died?"

The question was sudden and Fakir opened his mouth to speak but then closed it again. He seemed unsure of what was the best response for such a strange question.

"I mean, would you care if I died in a battle tomorrow or the day after that?"

"I will be terribly grieved if die," Fakir said, and she stared at him for a long moment, "And I'll definitely wallow in a pit of despair when you die," he said rolling his eyes at her. She pouted a little, but accepted the sarcastic answer. At least he was trying to make her feel better and she stood up, stretching a little.

"Well, I guess then I won't worry about the ending. I am going to bed," she said, waving and was soon skipping into the dorm to go to bed. Fakir lingered a moment and sighed loudly before heading off to his own dorm.

"Actually, I don't even know if I could survive without you here, Ahiru…"

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- **Short one for the continual growth of this challenge. Watching the Rangers kick Tampa Bay $$, so I wanted to finish quickly. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


	20. Fire

**Life, Liberty and the Pursuit of a Duck**

**Summary: Fifty one-shots about a Duck and her Knight.**

**Disclaimer: I am tired of saying it, but no I do not own Princess Tutu.**

* * *

**Fire**

**And you know the only place that can make you feel like no one can hurt you is in his arms.**

* * *

The world is a confusing place. You know that it is because you have been brought here by the work of a deranged writer who doesn't want anything but tragedy for your life. Any moment, you could be killed and that would the end of your story. This makes it harder to know who you can trust and who you can believe in. Your cause seems hopeless from the beginning, fighting your fate, fighting your story. The world is on fire and you can only suffer in silence.

You are scared, confused and uncertain in times of crisis but you are also strong and determined. You try day in and day out to understand the world around you, but come to find it hard to deal with alone. That is why you have turned to the one person you know you can trust. You know that with him everything suddenly makes since. And you know the only place that can make you feel like no one can hurt you is in his arms.

He is the only rock in this endless whirl of doubt and mistakes. With him you can be free and with him you can who you truly are. His calming voice is the only one in the world you ever wish to hear for the rest of your life, no matter how long that may be. His pen is the only weapon you can trust with everything you are and even though the future looks dark and hopeless, you know that with him by your side, you can somehow manage to survive.

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- **Really, really short one-shot. Again with the writing in teh second person, it is really difficult to do. Still, I am satisfied with it being this short. Thanks for reading!**

**Invader Hog**


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